A US airman who was missing after his aircraft was shot down over Iran on Friday has been rescued, President Donald Trump announced early on Sunday.
“WE GOT HIM!” Trump posted on Truth Social, praising the military for carrying out what he described as “one of the most daring” search-and-rescue operations in US history.
The mission, which a current search-and-rescue pilot described as unbelievably bold in conversations with Business Insider about these challenging operations, was launched after an F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet, carrying a pilot and weapons system officer, went down over Iran on Friday.
Not long after the aircraft loss, photos of debris said to be from an F-15E fighter jet and video footage appearing to show search-and-rescue operations with Black Hawk helicopters and a C-130 Hercules aircraft began circulating online.
US forces rescued the pilot several hours after their F-15 went down. Trump said the military on Saturday sent dozens of aircraft to retrieve the weapons system officer, a colonel, from “deep inside the mountains of Iran” as Iranian forces closed in on his location.
The president said the airman was “being hunted down by our enemies, who were getting closer and closer by the hour.”
The airman’s condition is unclear. Trump said “he sustained injuries, but he will be just fine.” He later described the injuries as serious.
Combat search-and-rescue missions like this one are rare and rely on highly trained personnel, from the skilled aircrews operating helicopters and refueling tankers to the Pararescue Jumpers that are often sent out with them.
Friday’s F-15 Strike Eagle incident marked the first manned aircraft loss over Iran but not the first US aircraft loss of the war. The Air Force has lost other aircraft since the start of Operation Epic Fury on February 28.
At the start of the Iran war, three US F-15s were mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti forces in what US Central Command — which oversees American forces in the Middle East — characterized as “an apparent friendly fire incident.” All six crew members survived.
Then on March 12, a US KC-135 refueling aircraft crashed in western Iraq, killing all six crew members. A second American aircraft involved in the incident landed safely.
Iran has also shot down several MQ-9 Reaper drones and destroyed or damaged support aircraft on the ground at American bases in the Gulf region.
Reports Friday indicated that in addition to the fighter jet downed over Iran, an A-10 attack aircraft mobilized in support was also hit. It went down over friendly territory, with the pilot ejecting safely.
There have been several close calls as well. A US F-35 stealth fighter jet, for instance, was forced to make an emergency landing at a Middle East base on March 19 after flying a combat mission over Iran, reportedly after it was damaged by Iranian fire.
And in late March, video footage circulating online appeared to show a US Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet narrowly avoiding an Iranian surface-to-air missile.
More than 350 US service members have been wounded in the war, though most of them have already returned to duty. Thirteen troops have been killed.
